Barber describes how she had been writing, as a hobby, for years, but the decision she and her husband made to quit their jobs, and travel around the world, triggered her completion of Are You Sleeping.[3] Barber said that she was inspired by the Serial podcast. Her novel focuses around a podcast host, whose investigations turns up evidence of a wrongful conviction.[10]
The Galesburg Register-Mail reported Barber's upcoming followup novel, Follow Me, will also be a mystery, revolving around social media.[8] It is scheduled to be published on February 25, 2020.[11]
References
^ abc"Kathleen Barber, December 28". River City Reader. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019. Author Barber was raised in Galesburg and graduated from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law. While she previously practiced bankruptcy law at large firms in Chicago and New York, Barber is also a registered yoga teacher and self-described "incurable wanderer" who, when she isn't writing, enjoys traveling the world with her husband.
^Denise Petski (August 21, 2018). "'Bosch' Casts Chris Ashworth; Lyndon Smith Joins 'Are You Sleeping'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019. Are You Sleeping, created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, provides a unique glimpse into America's obsession with true-crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.
^Robert Connelly (August 3, 2017). "Galesburg native publishes crime thriller". Galesburg Register-Mail. Galesburg, Illinois. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019. Amazon describes the book as an 'inventive and twisty psychological thriller about a mega-hit podcast that reopens a murder case and threatens to unravel the carefully constructed life of the victim's daughter.'
^ abRobert Connelly (July 22, 2019). "Galesburg native returns with second thriller novel". Galesburg Register-Mail. Galesburg, Illinois. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019. It 'is about a woman who spends a lot of time on social media. She moves to a new city and when she moves to this city, she has, unbeknownst to her, moved closer to somebody who has been obsessively following her on social media for years,' Barber said.